Biochemistry Flashcards
Carbohydrates/ Lipids/ Protein Synthesis/ Nucleic Acid
Types of organic macromolecules in living organisms
- Carbohydrates (monomers)
- Lipids (polymers)
- Protein (monomers)
- Nucleic Acid (monomers)
Monomers
Small molecules
Polymers
Large molecules made of many monomers.
Dehydration Synthesis
Build a polymer by adding a monomer.
In the process, it releases a water molecule.
Hydrolysis
Break a polymer into a monomer.
Water molecule is added to new molecules.
Carbohydrate traits
- Energy storage
- Structural
- Signaling
- Hydrophilic
Monosaccharides
Are the monomers of all carbohydrates.
They’re composed of:
* 3 - 7 Carbons
* Same # of oxygen
* 2x as many Hydrogends
Typically form rings + taste sweet
ex: Glucose + Fructose
Disaccharides
2 monosaccharides as a molecule that often taste sweet.
ex: Sucrose = table sugar
2 glucose and 1 fructose
Polysaccharides
What are they + ones covered in class
Molecules of many monosaccharides.
* Starch - not made by humans, made by plants, a major form of E in the human diet
* Glucogen - made by humans, used to store E, in liver and tissue cells
* Other polysaccharides are used for structure and signaling
Lipid traits
- Lots of C + H
- Hydrophobic (Many hydrophobic chemicals that can turn into each other)
- Non-monomer
- Used for: E storage, Signaling, Insulation + cushioning
- Located in the Plasma membrane
Fatty Acids
are the simplest form of lipid.
If it has a long C-H chain = hydrophobic
If there’s a small carboxyl on top = hydrophilic
Saturated
fat
- No double bond
- Solid at room temp
- Less healthy - can clog vessels
- Comes from animals
Unsaturated
fats
- Some double bonds
- Liquid at room temp
- More healthy
- Comes from plants
Trans
fats
- Double bonds are going in the wrong direction
- Worse than saturated
- Comes from an artificial process
Triglycerides
- 1 glycerol (3 carbon sugar) + 3 fatty acids
- E storage in fat cells + liver
- Many types of cells in the body
Phosophilipids
MAJOR part of plasma membrane
* 2 Hydrophobic tails + hydrophilic head (contains P) making it Amphiphilic.
Amphiphilic
Molecule has hydrophobic + hydrophilic parts
Steroids
Lipid with 4 carbon rings.
Steroid hormones
Chemicals that signal whole body
Protein traits
- Do stuff
- Generate movement
- Control chemical reactions (enzymes)
- Structural
- Move things across membranes
- Signaling + receptors (detect other chemical signals)
- Composed of long chain amino acids connected by peptide bonds.
Amino Acids
Definition + traits
Are the monomers of proteins.
1. Amino group NH3+ (hydrophilic)
2. Carboxyl group CO2- (hydrophilic)
3. Central C (hydrophilic) attached to other 4 parts
4. Side chain
* 20 types of AA w/ a different side chain giving it different chemical properties which affects how the AA works.
Peptide bonds
attach 2 amino acids together.
* Amino group of one connected to carboxyl group of another
* example of Dehydration synthesis
Protein sequence
Definition + function
is the order of amino acids in protein.
* Sequence of AAs determines the chemical property of protein + function of protein
* Folds into a 3D shape - shape is critical for function
* Shape of protein matches the shape of molecules it interacts with
Denature
process in which protein becomes unwound, loses its shape. Can occur when the wrong pH and/or high heat is present.